Caufield Finds His Shot as Habs Outlast Sabres 4-3 OT
Suzuki and Hutson both clang iron, and Buffalo's power play comes up empty as Montréal snaps its skid at the Bell Centre
Cole Caufield scored twice, and neither goal was a fluke. He got to the dangerous ice and buried what he found, and that was enough to lift Montréal past Buffalo 4-3 in overtime.
Caufield fired 5 shots in 18:03. His chances added up to 0.81 expected goals, a measure of how many goals his looks were worth. Scoring two from that is good finishing, not a lucky bounce. Skating with Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovský, he was the one who cashed in. Slafkovský set up 2 goals, and so did defenceman Alexandre Carrier.
The Canadiens also tilted the ice. They outshot Buffalo 34-26, piled up more shot attempts, and won most of the faceoffs. The Sabres still created real looks. Their chances were worth 3.14 expected goals, close to Montréal's total. They just couldn't finish enough of them, and they went 0-for-4 on the power play.
The score could have been wider. Suzuki and Lane Hutson each hit the post or crossbar. Jacob Fowler made 23 saves to slightly outplay Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The win moves Montréal, still in the wild-card mix, to 3-3-1.
